“Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don’t count.” – Dr. Robert Anthony

As I talk to people, I realize that everyone is waiting for something. As a child, you are always waiting for those magic birthdays that propel you further into adulthood.

When I turn sixteen, I can… When I turn eighteen, I can… When I turn twenty-one, I am…

As an adult, you are still waiting for reasons to live, really live. It usually involves having enough money. For some, they are waiting until they are in love. For others, it can be after they lose weight. We create these markers in our lives that have to happen before we can really enjoy life. When actually, you can enjoy life now and throughout our change.

The truth is that time is the one thing we don’t have infinitely. There will always be money. Love is available to us and can come into our life at any time. We will lose and gain weight throughout the years, but our time continues to tick to a stop that none of us know. None of us know when our last day will be, so why wait? Why wait to create experiences in your life.

We hear about people living past a hundred years old and make the mistake of believing that everyone is living longer. Some people will live into an elderly age, but no one has a guarantee. We take people for granted that they will be here when we are ready to  forgive or spend time with them. Then we are shocked when someone suddenly passes away or experiences illness. Only then are we reminded of all the things we want to do in our life, but for most of us, it only lasts for a while before apathy sets in and we dredge through life again.

My question to you is what are you waiting for? There is no right time. The right time to live is today, which makes every single day a good time to live and do things you love. It’s not after you lose ten pounds, reduce your bills or when the kids get older. That time that you are waiting for may never come. Bills continue to grow. After the children are the grandchildren. There will always be an excuse or a reason why you can’t do something. There is only one reason to do it. You are the one reason why you should.

Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith. I say, do at least one thing a year that reminds you that you are alive. For those that are more committed, I say do something once a month. The truly brave among us will find a way to do something that lights them up every single day. Stop waiting. Incorporate living into your life.

When you leave this earth and people are sitting at your funeral, will people say, “You know she paid off her mortgage. You know he always paid bills on time. You know she needed to lose ten pounds.”

I don’t think so. People talk about how you loved, what a good parent, friend, spouse you were, where you went in life, and what you did. Your legacy in this world is more than keeping the bills up-to-date. That is part of it, but you have to make memories too. You can inspire others to live by how you live your life. If you bravely choose to enjoy your life, you can give others permission to enjoy theirs. So, what are you waiting for?

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”  – Barack Obama